Three high school basketball stars debut in On3 Women’s NIL 100
The debut of the On3 Women’s NIL 100 features stars of today in college sports like Sunisa Lee, Paige Bueckers, Hailey Van Lith. However, the list – which is the first of its kind and the defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 female student-athletes ranked by market valuation – also features stars of tomorrow.
The On3 Women’s NIL 100 features three women’s high school basketball stars – Jada Williams, Juju Watkins and Mikaylah Williams. Plus, you can read more on the Top 10 On3 NIL Valuations in Women’s NIL 100. Here’s a look at why they’re on the list and why they’re already starring in the NIL ecosystem.
Jada Williams
Class of 2023
Position: Guard
On3 Women’s NIL 100 Ranking: 7
On3 NIL Valuation: $550,000
Even though she just signed with Arizona last week, Jada Williams is already one of the strongest NIL brands in all of college sports.
She’s a five-star recruit from La Jolla Country Day School in San Diego. She has been team captain for all four years of high school and was named Most Valuable Player or Co-MVP each season as well.
The Kansas City, Mo., native represented the United States and won gold medals at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup and the 2021 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. Heck, even LeBron James and Kobi Bryant came to watch her play a few years back.
Williams has that “it factor” brands are looking for away from the court. She’s already amassed more than 1 million social media followers, including 665,000-plus on Instagram alone. She’s also executed a long list of significant NIL deals, including from Lemon Perfect, Spalding, Gymshark and others. Furthermore, her On3 NIL Valuation of $550,000 puts her ahead of many of college football’s top stars.
“People actually like who I am, so I just made sure I was who I am to social media, so I didn’t have to go out in public and act like somebody I’m not,” Williams told Just Women’s Sports. “All my followers and supporters were like, ‘Oh my God. She’s real. She talks the same as everybody else does. She dances on TikTok the same way everybody else does.’”
Williams has also been vocal about pushing for social change through her brand, something more and more high school and college stars are pushing for. That’s another thing that could help further build her NIL brand.
Juju Watkins
Class of 2023
Position: Guard
On3 Women’s NIL 100 Ranking: 32
On3 NIL Valuation: $85,000
Judea “Juju” Watkins is a five-star prospect in the Class of 2023 and a consensus five-star prospect coming out of Chatsworth (California) Sierra Canyon. She committed to USC on Tuesday.
After her junior season, Watkins was named the Los Angeles Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 24.8 points and 10.3 rebounds to help lift the Trailblazers to a 30-2 record. Watkins also earned the award as a freshman. She won a gold medal last summer for USA Basketball and was selected as the Gatorade California Player of the Year. Watkins was also selected as Sports Illustrated’s Kids Sports Kid of the Year in 2020.
Additionally, she became the first high school star to sign with Klutch Sports for NIL representation. That, along with NIL deals with LIDS and Nike and 105,000 social media followers, helped her On3 NIL Valuation quickly climb to $85,000. As part of her deal with Nike, Watkins will work with the company to help revitalize basketball spaces across Los Angeles and “redefine the future of women’s basketball.”
“She’s a generational talent,” Sierra Canyon coach Alicia Komaki told ESPN. “I don’t think we’re going to see somebody else like her.”
Mikaylah Williams
Class of 2023
Position: Guard
On3 Women’s NIL 100 Ranking: 81
On3 NIL Valuation: $27,000
Mikaylah Williams is considered the consensus No. 1 women’s basketball recruit in the Class of 2023. Williams picked LSU over Ole Miss, Baylor, Duke and Texas A&M in April.
After leading the Lady Panthers to the 2022 Class 5A state championship game, Williams was named Miss Basketball by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, Louisiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year and one of five finalists for the Naismith National High School Girls Player of the Year while boasting a 4.0 GPA. She averaged 22.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals as a junior at Parkway High.
In 2022, Williams won a gold medal with Team USA in the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup FIBA 3×3 World Cup, where she was also named MVP. Additionally, she was named one of 12 players on the 2022 USA Basketball Women’s U17 National Team, who took home a gold medal after competing in the FIBA U17 World Cup in Hungary this summer.
Her success on the court helped her build a solid social media presence of around 28,000 followers, including more than 25,000 on Instagram alone. Her On3 NIL Valuation of $27,000 sets her up for future success. Yet, she’s already using her strong brand to execute NIL deals in her backyard.
Williams recently signed her first major NIL deal with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys. She is also represented by Family First Sports.
“I’m thankful that Gordon sees the potential in high school athletes like me,” Williams said when she announced the deal.
About the On3 NIL Valuation
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the projected annual value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories, including performance, influence and exposure.
While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed tp date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.